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The Deacon's Bench

What’s behind it? Take a look: A total of 56 men began training for the priesthood in September this year, the National Office of Vocation said. That was up on the 49 who started the process to become priests in 2009. The rise coincided with the four-day visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Britain. Catholic…

John Allen offers his two cents: In Dolan, the bishops have turned to their most gifted natural communicator, a leader with a demonstrated capacity to project a positive image for Catholicism in the public square. Rather than electing a behind-the-scenes broker of compromise, in other words, the bishops tapped their best front man. That choice…

…”Star Wars.”  This video is something every parent needs to see!

From the people who brought you that delightful dance in a Liverpool train station comes this exuberant and joyful medley at Heathrow airport. (If you’re keeping track, the most famous of these “flash mob” encounters is undoubtedly the “Do Re Mi” in Antwerp.  Nearly 20 million YouTube hits and counting.) Think flying has become a…

“You might interpret this as the bishops are tired of short and skinny presidents.” — The new president of the USCCB, New York’s Timothy Dolan, analyzing his upset election as only he can.

This is certainly, um, different — though, with the unfurling ribbon of condoms smack in the middle, it’s hardly advocating abstinence.  I’d call the message, at best, mixed.  And unpersuasive.     Details: The video is part of the Candie’s Foundation’s “Pause Before You Play” campaign, or PBYB according to Sitch. It begins with Situation…

… on the topic of wearing the collar, after this post veered off the rails and became a debating exercise for deacons.  Snip: Should deacons wear clericals? In my opinion, this is a decision best left to the deacon in question. The reason that the OBLIGATION to wear clerical attire is waived for permanent deacons…

A surprise, and an upset: For the first time in the history of the US bishops, a vice-president standing for the presidency has been denied the top post, losing a stunning election to the archbishop of New York. By a 128-111 vote, Archbishop Timothy Dolan bested Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson on the third ballot…

The City of Churches will soon have fewer of them.  From the In My Backyard Desk, another sign of the times: Facing a drop in attendance and a shortage of priests, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn plans to close two churches, fold six parishes into three and impose strict budget constraints on all 198…

That’s just one of the messages to emerge from the fall gathering of the USCCB in Baltimore: Roman Catholic bishops in the United States should go forth and blog, tweet and preach on the “new digital continent” of social media, a church leader said Monday. “The church does not have to change its teachings to…
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